Eagles grade by position after close win over Browns

It probably wasn't as easy as it should have been.

But after the Eagles went into halftime, they did enough to pull out a 20-16 victory over the struggling Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday afternoon.

Let's get to the position grades:

quarterback

Jalen Hurts: 16/25, 264 yards, 2 TDs, 126.1 rating; 14 attempts, 33 yards

Hearts got off to a really rough start in this game but ended up pulling it together and making some nice plays. The Eagles' offense is still very inconsistent and desperately needs to get off to a better start, but Hearts had some really good moments in this game and ultimately had a turnover-free game for the first time this season. It obviously helped by bringing back two of his big weapons — Hurts hit DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown for touchdowns in this game.

Grade: B+

running back

Saquon Barkley: 18 carries, 47 yards

Through the first four games of the season, Barkley has been the Eagles' best player. He still had some tough runs against the Browns on Sunday as it was clear the Eagles wanted to run the football against Cleveland. But Barkley also made two big mistakes. He failed to pick up a first-down late in the second half and then whiffed on a block to sack Hurts before a blocked field goal that was returned for a touchdown. Kenny Gainwell had a 19-yard run and finished 3 for 23.

Grade: C+

the receiver

AJ Brown: 6 catches on 9 targets, 116 yards, 1 TD

The Eagles got Brown and Smith back in this game and both played well. Brown has 11 catches for 235 yards and 2 touchdowns in two games this season. His 22-yard touchdown catch barely had any separation but was able to beat man coverage and come down with the pass. And his 40-yarder in the fourth quarter iced the game. Smith had a 45-yard touchdown catch on a fake route. Jahan Dotson had just one official catch but it was a beauty down the sideline for 10 yards in the fourth quarter before making the kill shot to Brown.

Grade: A

tight ends

Grant Calcaterra: 4 catches, 67 yards

Dallas Goedert left the game early with a hamstring injury, so both Calcaterra and Jake Stoll moved up the depth chart. Calcaterra had one catch of 34-yards and one catch of 20-yards in the game. He had more yards in this game than he did last season. And although Stoll didn't have a catch, he helped create separation for a long 45-yard touchdown to Smith. He made sure not to contact Rab Root to get the penalty.

Grade: B+

Offensive line

While it was tough sledding at times in the run game, Hurts was sacked just once in the game and the Eagles were mostly able to neutralize Myles Garrett as a pass rusher, not easy when you're facing a dominant defensive player. Jordan Mailata of the year left this game with a hamstring injury and was seen on crutches after the game. Obviously something to keep an eye on going forward but Big Fred Johnson seems to be playing well in his absence. Unfortunately the Eagles didn't get a ton of push in the run game, which hurt the offense.

Grade: B-

defensive line

Jalen Carter: 1 sack, 3 QB hits, 1 TFL

Of course, the Browns have given up more sacks than any team in the NFL through five weeks so you have to keep that in mind. But the Eagles got Deshaun Watson later in the game. They got solid contributions from Carter, Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, Bryce Huff, Moro Ozomo, Nolan Smith and more. Graham's TFL was a huge play in his 200th career game. And it seemed Huff was finally turning a corner. The Eagles sacked Watson 5 times in the game and 4 1/2 of those sacks came from the D-line.

Grade: A

linebacker

Nakobe Dean: 12 tackles (7 solo)

While Dean wasn't perfect, missing some tackles, he led the team with 12 and had some big hurries. Jack Bown had 8 tackles in the game but took a late hitting penalty on Watson in a situation where the Browns could not gain 15 yards on offense. An interesting note: When the Eagles went to their dime defense, Bown stayed on the field instead of Dean.

Grade: A-

Secondary

CJ Gardner-Johnson: 6 tackles, 2 PBUs

The Eagles finally switched from Avonte Maddox to Cooper DeJean at nickel cornerback and it really seems to have paid off. In his first extended defensive move, Dezin looked the part. The Eagles missed an interception when Gardner-Johnson and Quinion Mitchell collided while playing the football but at least they were both there. Even when Darius Slay went down with a knee injury, Isaiah Rodgers and Kelly Ringo played well in his place.

Grade: A-

special team

Cooper Dezin: 4 punt returns, 41 yards (12.8)

The blocked field goal was such a huge play, but it was really just a big-time play by Myles Garrett. He jumped over the line, maintained his stride and blocked a second-quarter field goal that Rodney McLeod made and scored. So it was not good. But Dezin looked the part as a punt returner in place of the injured Britton Covey. He had some juice.

Grade: C

Coaching

Record: 3-2

In this game the Eagles again failed to score in the first quarter and opened the game with another quick 3-and-out. That has to change. Kellen Moore obviously benefited from the return of Brown and Smith and called some good plays in this game despite a static offense at times. The fake concept worked again for a big touchdown. And on defense, Vic Fangio called a good game. Even though the Browns' offense is terrible, Fangio kept his guys making plays. Nick Sirianni's antics are going to be a big deal going forward. He was seen scuffling with some Browns players during the game and then yelling at the fans. While the Eagles may want to see Syriani as himself, we know Jeff Lurie sometimes wants Syriani to cut back a bit.

Grade: C

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